Hope is more than a wish or a want – it’s the belief that something can change, and this starts with believing in ourselves. Recognizing the moments, qualities, and people that build your confidence can help you realize the unique value you bring.
The first step for finding focus is looking at where you currently spend your time and what you would like to prioritize more. Map out the experiences that make up your life — your curiosities, interests, and skills — to see how various dots might connect in different ways.
Getting curious starts with developing a beginner’s mindset. Practice letting go of your typical thoughts and interpretations by observing the world with new eyes. What catches your interest? With time, anything around you can become fascinating.
How did people you admire get where they are? What would it look like to follow in their path?
Take a deep dive into someone else’s journey to learn more about what they are working on in their own lives and what strengths they have grown.
Opportunities to get creative are all around you. How might people, places, and things help shed a light on what you care about and inspire something new? Create a landscape of the things that inspire you, ignite your imagination, and spark new ideas.
We are all writing our stories every day. What stories do you want to keep developing over time? Similarly, are there stories you tell yourself that might not be helpful? Here’s how to identify the personal stories that you want to express.
Reflection helps you think about all the different experiences, strengths, and interests that have shaped you, but where do you go from here? Narrow in on areas to explore further by making connections and uncovering themes about yourself.
Questions are powerful— we can be intentional about the questions we ask and what we want to learn from them. Here’s how to create generative questions that can point to undiscovered interests and new areas to explore.
Curiosity drives how our interests grow and change over time. You can continue to develop new interests by finding quick ways to get exposed to different topics. Take inventory of what’s out there and where you might like to plug in.
Making a plan with bite-sized steps can help you bring an idea to life. What are you working on right now? How can you set yourself up for success? Create a plan to help you stay on track and get the support you need to make progress.
One of the hardest parts about getting stuff done is getting started and sticking with it. When there is no one telling you what to do, what are some techniques you use to motivate yourself? Explore the motivation methods that work best for you.
When you’re creating something, you can always make it better by asking others to contribute their ideas and inspiration. Consider what perspectives might be missing in your process and gather new possibilities that you hadn’t considered before.
The way you perceive setbacks can actually influence your mindset about the future. Reframe challenging moments as opportunities in a way that helps you learn and move forward with more confidence in yourself.
Purpose is at the intersection of what you’re good at, what you care about, and how you can make a difference. Make connections between how your interests, strengths, and the things you care about most can meet the needs of others and create impact.
The impact you have on the people around you matters. You can have a greater positive impact by being intentional and planning ahead. Turn your intention into impact by creating a plan of action to support people or communitites that matter to you.
A foundation for feeling more purposeful is fostering a sense of belonging, which means knowing who to turn to in the face of a challenge. The people in your life use their strengths to help us in different ways— identify who you can go to in your life for different types of support.
We encounter stories in the world in so many different ways. What story mediums do you encounter regularly, and which are best for telling your story? Try out different mediums and find the one where you feel the most heard.
Your story matters, and the way you tell it is up to you. Experiment with telling your story; notice how highlighting different moments or insights can illuminate different parts of who you are.
Sometimes inspiration comes from surprising contexts. When we make connections between two seemingly unrelated ideas, we might push our thinking in unexpected directions. Add a tool to your creativity toolbox by practicing divergent thinking!
You are inherently creative. This shows up in your daily routines, from how you express yourself to how you solve problems. Experiment with unlocking your creativity and developing the confidence to let it flow more freely.
You are the main character in your own story. The moments, events, people, places, and experiences in your day to day become part of your stories. But why do some stories impact us more than others? Let’s find out!
Being an advocate for others starts with advocating for yourself and voicing what you need. Develop the skills and belief in yourself to authentically communicate your needs with the people around you.
One of the most basic forms of expression is identifying and calling out our emotional state in the here and now. Taking inventory of our emotions and finding the language to name them can help us express ourselves in small ways every day.
Over the weeks, or even throughout a single day, you can feel a wide range of emotions. Tracking the highs and lows can help you see patterns in how you feel and better understand how to move through the lows and highs.
You can create positive change by advocating for others. This starts with acknowledging the inequities that exist and consistently working to become a better ally. How will you amplify the voices of others who need to be heard? How will you stand with, and not for, others?
How you see the world and the people around you is influenced by your own experiences— and oftentimes, there’s more to the story. Learn about the importance of broadening your perspective and seeing stories from multiple views.
In order to better understand people, we can start by practicing active listening. Here’s how to listen closely to what people are sharing with you, acknowledge your own interpretations, and make sense of what they are truly expressing.
Each of us is an advocate in different ways— from standing by others or speaking up about injustice, to dedicating time to a cause or teaching about an issue. What does being an advocate mean to you? Identify areas for positive change through advocacy that matter most to you.
You already contribute to the world in ways you might not even think about. Consider the different forms contribution can take and how you want to have an impact right now– supporting individuals, communities, and even broader societal issues or causes!
Building skills for the future can feel overwhelming, but you can strengthen whichever skills you choose with a little time and practice. Develop skillbuilding tools and practice putting them into action to prepare yourself for a rapidly changing future.
The ways you have coped with challenges in the past can serve as tools for the future. Reflect on the words, actions, relationships, or anything else that has helped you move through tough moments.
Part of staying hopeful is recognizing that barriers may stand in our way at times and we might feel stuck. Making small shifts in how you view these barriers can help you stay motivated and optimistic, even when you feel low.
There are stories all around us that we can get inspired by– from our family and friends, to people all over the world, to our own lives. Look for the moments of hope and start to collect the stories that inspire you and others.
There are many things that are unique about you. By recognizing the different experiences, perspectives, and values you bring to the table, you can better understand how they influence the way you navigate the world.
Map the communities you are part of (some obvious and some not as obvious). When do you feel a sense of belonging? Having a place in the world around you can mean connecting with the people you see everyday, as well as with broader communities you identify with.